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Iowa State coach known for fiery speeches is more than just talk
"Let me tell you a funny story about that," the booming voice on the other end of the phone says.
"To me, maybe I'm just an average, red-blooded American," he continues, raising his voice to emphasize the importance of what he's about to say. "But there's millions of Americans that never see the President, never get close to the President."
Now Paul Rhoads -- a man who's become known for his emotional, post-game locker room speeches -- is really fired up.
Although his Iowa State Cyclones are just days away from taking on the high-scoring No. 7 Baylor Bears (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX), he's taking a moment to reflect on one his favorite non-football experiences from his six seasons at Iowa State.
That moment came when the head coach was quoted by Barack Obama during the President's trip to Ames, Iowa in the summer of 2012.
"I walk into my office and everyone's like 'You can watch the speech here,'" Rhoads said, detailing how he had hustled back to the school's football complex after watching the President's helicopter land. "Next thing I know and he's mentioning my name."
You can hear the pride in Rhoads' voice as he tells the story, which is ironic since Rhoads himself is probably most well-known for exclaiming to his players in post-game speeches that he is "so proud" of them.
"I promise you," Rhoads said, pausing to reflect on the moment. "It was pretty damn cool."
When the President quotes you, it's a big deal. And that Obama mentioned Rhoads and his famed speeches when he visited campus speaks to just how legendary the coach's pep talks have become.
"I won't pretend I can give a speech like Coach Rhoads can, but I'm going to try," Obama said two years ago on his two-day college tour.
Oh, those speeches. They deserve recognition right along with Rhoads' three bowl appearances in four seasons -- a feat which hasn't been achieved by any other coach in school history.
He gave them after wins over Nebraska in 2009, Oklahoma State in 2011, and Iowa two weeks ago. They stand out as heartfelt and positive in an increasingly cynical sports landscape, expressing everything that's still good and right about college football.
But to Rhoads, his words don't carry the pop culture or viral intrigue they do for others. For him, they simply come from the heart.
"To me, the fun piece is that it's all spontaneous," he said. "It's all passion, it's all emotion. It's all tied into a message that's tied into game week."
Rhoads has had to build his program on the same tenants upon which his speeches are based. Iowa State's players would best be described as tough and gritty, and that's the brand of football they play.
"We like to say that we're a blue-collar program," Rhoads said. "We put on our hard hats and go to work every day."
Not surprisingly, those working-class traits aren't just found in Rhoads' players. According to someone who knows him well, they're also found in the coach himself.
Rhoads came to Iowa State after eight years as a defensive coordinator, including seven at Pitt where he served under two different coaches. That he was retained by the second coach after the first was fired speaks volumes about Rhoads -- not only as a football mind, but a person as well.
When Dave Wannstedt took over for the 2005 season, he kept Rhoads on the staff as much for his character as for his X's and O's acumen. The two not only became colleagues but fast friends, with the young coordinator serving as a confidant to the new head coach.
"Him and I always had a good relationship and it really developed where I trusted him," Wannstedt said. "I really used Paul as a sounding board. It wasn't long before we went one-on-one behind closed doors, where I'd say 'What do you think? Think we need to do something or not?'"
That trust helped them team up for one of the biggest wins in program history.
The 2007 Panthers closed a disappointing 5-7 season with the chance to play spoiler vs. hated rival West Virginia in the "Backyard Brawl." At 10-1, the Mountaineers were No. 2 in the country and would play for the national championship with a win.
In a game then-WVU coach Rich Rodriguez called a "nightmare," Pitt pulled off the most improbable upset in series history, winning 13-9 in Morgantown.
While most are quick to remember that West Virginia's prolific offense (which averaged just under 40 points per game that season) came to a screeching halt that night, what few have ever bothered to ask is what exactly the Panthers' coaching staff did to stop them.
Wannstedt points to a game plan installed by his defensive coordinator. It had been instituted earlier in the week and was centered on the most fundamental skill in football, he said.
"The way I would do it as a head coach, is, you have your offense practicing on one field, your defense practicing on another field," Wannstedt said. "I remember, we're getting ready for West Virginia and I look over, and Paul is putting the defense through tackling drills."
Seems simple enough, only Rhoads took it to an extreme.
When Wannstedt looked over at his defense during the next period of practice -- 20 minutes later -- there was the D, going through another tackling drill.
The decision to scrap more formal game-planning and get back to basics piqued Wannstedt's interest. He walked over and asked Rhoads what exactly he was doing.
"He says 'Coach, the more I look at this thing, we've got a good scheme, we're going to have guys in the right positions, but to beat West Virginia, we've got to be able to tackle,'" Wannstedt explained. "He really said it (again), 'We've got to be able to tackle.'"
Reflecting on the win, all Wannstedt could do was laugh.
"We go on to win the game, and I went back and looked at that tape," he said. "I believe we had a total of seven missed tackles in the game. At that time, West Virginia was having guys miss seven tackles on one play."
It's a game that will live on forever in Pitt lore. And it had Rhoads' fingerprints all over it.
"Behind the national championship," Wannstedt said. "It's arguably the second biggest win in Pitt history."
The key to that win seven years ago isn't lost this week, as Rhoads and Iowa State prepare for Saturday night's meeting with the Bears.
The focus for Week 5's game?
You guessed it: tackling.
"It doesn't matter if you're a linebacker, D-lineman or defensive back," Rhoads said, explaining his defensive game plan. "In a game against Baylor's offense, you're going to find yourself on an island. And when you're on an island you're going to have to be successful making plays for us to have team success."
We'll find out Saturday whether the Cyclones can shock the nation with a win over Art Briles' squad led by Heisman-hopeful quarterback Bryce Petty, but it's hard to argue against Rhoads' track record in games like this one. In addition to Pitt's monumental upset of WVU, he was at the Iowa State helm when it derailed No. 2 Oklahoma State's season in 2011. The 10-0 Cowboys visited Jack Trice Stadium needing just two more wins to play for the 2011 national championship, but the Cyclones beat the Pokes 37-31 in double-overtime that night, ending OSU's dream of a BCS title.
It also led to one of Rhoads' most famous post-game proclamations to his players, one which concluded with him roaring, yet again, of how proud he was to be their coach.
Chances are pretty good Rhoads will say the same Saturday night if the Cyclones can pull another upset.
Aaron Torres is a show writer for FOX Sports Live and a contributor to FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or e-mail at ATorres00@gmail.com.
